Development of a SCAR Marker for Sex Identification in Asparagus

A sex-linked random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker was identified from Asparagus officinalis L. and was converted into a sequence-characterized amplified regions (SCAR) marker for the large-scale screening of male and female plants. A total of 100 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers were used for the RAPD analysis. Among them, the primer UBC347 amplified one female-specific 400 base pair DNA. Subsequently, the amplified RAPD fragment was cloned and sequenced. The fragment was abundant in AT and shared sequence homology with retrotransposon elements. On the basis of the sequence obtained, a pair of SCAR primer was designed. The amplification product, named F400, was the same size as the respective RAPD fragment from which it was derived. The F400 SCAR marker resulted to be female-specific in the three asparagus varieties tested in this study. This SCAR marker can be used for an early and rapid identification of female and male plants during breeding programs of asparagus.